MRO Centre: Canadian Aviation Representatives Inspect Tirupati Airport

TIRUPATI: Plans to establish an aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre at Tirupati International Airport have gathered momentum. Representatives from Canadian aviation visited the airport on Thursday to assess the feasibility of setting up this critical facility.

After an inspection of the airport, they held preliminary discussions with Tirupati MP, M. Gurumurthy.

The concept of an MRO centre at Tirupati International Airport has been in the works for some time, with discussions done between local authorities and the civil aviation ministry. To identify partners, it was decided to float tenders during last year's Invest India summit in Hyderabad.

In recent developments, representatives from Canadian aviation expressed their interest in the MRO centre project, stated Gurumurthy.

They conducted an inspection of the essential infrastructure required for its setting up at the Tirupati international airport. Additionally, they explored the electronic manufacturing cluster located in close proximity of the airport.

Subsequent to the comprehensive facility inspection, the Canadian delegation met Gurumurthy. The MP underscored the importance of aligning Tirupati city and the district’s development process, on directives from Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Gurumurthy said the proposed MRO centre at Tirupati airport “aligns with the state’s ambitious developmental plans for Tirupati.

Gurumurthy said Canadian aviation would submit their proposals to the central government. The project might materialise in six months. This would generate employment opportunities for local engineering graduates.

Meanwhile, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) floated a tender for leasing of land for the MRO facility on Design, Build, Operate, Maintain and Transfer (DBOMT) basis at site-2 of Tirupati airport.

In a bid to capitalise on the enormous potential of the MRO sector, the civil aviation ministry identified sites for implementation of MRO at eight airports across the country including Chandigarh, Delhi, Begumpet, Juhu in Mumbai, Bhopal, Chennai, Kolkata and Tirupati.

It was proposed to take up the works for the MRO facility at Tirupati airport in the second phase.